Hi all - Another great benefit has been planned for Ellie and Alexandria McBurnett!

There will be a benefit at the Brunswick Zone XL in Lakeville, MN on March 1st from 4-8 PM for Ellie WIllaert and Alexandria McBurnett.   Come on out and enjoy the family bowling, arcade games, face painting, and a silent auction!

To make it even more entertaining, there will be a (slightly early) birthday party for Ellie beforehand.

Check out the benefit flyer right here.

View Larger Map

Hi all -

I wanted to let you know that AMFE has put a special Vikings jersey up for auction.  The Minnesota Vikings donated the jersey to Ellie’s cause and we’ve decided to place it on eBay.  I should have gotten this info out a little sooner, but there are still 2+ days left in the auction.

This jersey is a #6 away (white) jersey, signed by 5 players:

Front:
Adrian Peterson #28
Chester Taylor #29
Jimmy Kleisasser #40
Tarvaris Jackson #7

Back:
Jared Allen #69 (Thanks to Ellie’s Grampa Wes who stood in line at the MoA to obtain this extra autograph).

All signatures are in permanent white marker on the numbers.  Lot of photos on the eBay auction which can be found by clicking on this link!

This is your chance to get a very special commemorative of the 2008 Vikings’ powerful 1-2 rushing punch and their star defensive end Jared Allen. So check it out and tell your Purple Blooded friends - spread the word!

Take Care and God Bless,
Uncle Andrew

I’d like to let you know about another benefit for Ellie.  This one is special, because it will benefit two girls in our community fighting the battle against cancer.

If you’re here you already know about Ellie’s battle with DIPG.  Now, I’d like you to meet Alexandria McBurnett, a fifth-grade Lonsdale girl fighting Myledysplastic Syndrome thought to be caused by her 2 1/2 years of treatments for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (this is one tough girl, here).  She is awaiting a bone-marrow transplant and has been waging her battle since November of 2005. Take a look at her CaringBridge website, and sign her guestbook.

There will be a school dance that will benefit these two girls from 7-8:30 PM this coming Friday, December 12th, 2008 at Eagle View Elementary School. The school is part of the New Prague district; directions can be found at the Eagle View website.

Please check out the flyer for this benefit which has a better description of Alexandria’s journey than I’ve provided here. The flyer can be found here, and the school rules for the dance can be found here.

So come on out, have a good time, and let’s dance!

Uncle Andrew

Hi folks - it’s been a quiet few months for A Miracle For Ellie.  BUT, thanks to the Lakeville Applebee’s, we’ve got some more benefit information for you.

The Applebee’s in Lakeville will be hosting a “Dining for Donations” event to help Ellie’s family on December 2nd, 2008.  They will donate 15% of your bill to the Ellie Willaert Benefit Fund.  All you have to do is show up for dinner between 4 P.M. and 9 P.M. and show the flyer to your server.  What flyer?  Why, the one at this link!

Please note: you MUST show the flyer to your server and mention that you are there to dine for Ellie!

So come on out and have a meal to benefit Ellie!

Lakeville Applebee’s
18404 Kenrick Ave.
Lakeville, MN 55044
(952) 892-1991
View Map

Hi all - I’ve got information on a new benefit for Ellie. There will be a motorcycle ride starting in Castle Rock at 11 AM on Saturday, August 23rd, 2008. Here are the details:

Castle Rock & Roll Annual Bike Ride
(A Ride For Ellie)
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
Registration 10-11 AM
Depart 11 AM (Sharp!)

Cost: $20
$10.00 Donation to Ellie
$10.00 Goes to the Bike Ride.
Includes shirt, meal, and special entertainment to follow after ride
Food provided along route as well.
In case of rain, the ride will be held August 30th, 2008.

27998 Chippendale Avenue
Castle Rock, MN
612-290-0454

Come on out, bring your bike, and take a ride for Ellie!

AMFE has received information on a new fundraising event for Ellie: Niki’s close friend Jill is arranging a garage sale August 15th & 16th at Wagner Park in New Market. All proceeds will be donated to the Ellie Willaert Benefit Fund to help with medical and living expenses due to Ellie’s current battle with DIPG.

We are in need of items to be donated to the sale. Examples may include the following:

• Clothing: Infant, toddler, kids, juniors, womens and mens
• Household Items: Small/medium/large appliances, kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dish sets, pictures, frames, blankets, towels, bedding
• Furniture: Dressers, bed frames, couches, chairs, tables, patio furniture
• Toys, books, puzzles, games
• Electronics: Functioning computers, printers, TV’s
• Baby items: Strollers, cribs, basinettes, jumpers, diaper bags

We also need volunteer help to pull the benefit off:

• Set-up: Evenings, weekend(s) prior to garage sale to organize and price tag
• Help both days at the sale
• Signs/Brouchures/Flyers/Annoucements
• Cash Register

We could also use a cash register and tables (clearly labeled) to borrow for the day.

Please leave a comment on this post if you can assist and AMFE will forward your information to Jill. Or, you can contact Jill directly at jfriedges@integra.net.

Niki and Pat’s neighbors Kim and Jim Anderson have offered to have a garage sale in support of Ellie. It starts today, June 27th, 2008 at 7:30 AM. They will also be out there tomorrow, Saturday June 28th from 7:30 until 12 Noon.

The address is:

999 Theresa Marie Drive
New Market, MN 55054

Thank you Kim and Jim!

Hi folks - I’ve received additional information on the June 22nd Benefit for Ellie in Lakeville:

Once again, the benefit “A Miracle For Ellie” will be held at
Country Joe Racing
22222 Dodd Blvd
Lakeville, MN 55044

The event goes from 1-5 PM. There will be meals available for purchase, games to play, and a silent auction conducted. We have some wonderful silent auction items, including an Autographed Vikings Jersey, Autographed Twins Ball, a Wii, Twins tickets, Creative Memory basket, Pamper Chef basket, Air Hockey table, rounds of golf, lots of Restaurant GC (Gift Certificates), Let’s Dish GC, Pizza GC, massage GC, Hair Salon GC, automotive services, and a Tiffany vase.

In addition, Thrivent Financial has agreed to match funds raised up to $4000!

We need help, though!

***** We are in need of 30-40 volunteers for the day of the event. *****

We plan on running 2 shifts. 12:30-3 and 3-5:30. We need people to run games, help with parking, clean up tables, to help direct and answer questions, as well as other things that will come up. If you are interested in helping please email Dawn Roach with your contact info and what shift you would be interested in and perhaps what job you would be willing to do.

If you had mentioned that you had wanted to help in the past please get in touch with me again. We will put together a list and let everyone know what time and where they will be helping. We will also ask that the volunteers for the day park off-site so there will be plenty of parking for the other guests.

The flyer for this event can be seen at the following link:
http://amiracleforellie.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/benefit2.jpg

A fundraising event for Ellie will be held at the Hwy 50 Cub Foods in Lakeville. Folks will be offering to bag groceries for contributions to Ellie’s family from 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, June 21st, 2008. If you need groceries that weekend, how about coming out and having them bagged up for you?

Thanks to Dawn LeTourneau for initiating and organizing this!

Dawn and Jenny Burkett have provided a flyer with additional information. Please take a look at the flyer here.

AMFE would like to thank everyone involved in the Ellie’s Heroes Benefit in St. Peter last Saturday. The Silent Auction was a smashing success, and we’ve been told that when the approached the end of the 600 plates they had on hand, they needed to run out quickly for more. Over 700 plates of spaghetti were served. I can’t name every donor by name, but suffice it to say Ellie’s family is humbled by such a response and grateful to all who participated. Thank you!